The function of sedimentology in petroleum The above techniques require detailed knowledge of the exploration is to provide an understanding of the origin of kind that stems from research in Recent sedimentation inrocks. This kind of knowledge is vital to the correct and cluding the study of regional patterns, local processes, and profitable interpretation of raw stratigraphic data. Its use stratigraphy of Recent Sediments. This research should aim leads to an increased abilitiy to make better interpolations at the making of environmental identifications correctly, among existing data and extrapolations therefrom. Of quickly and cheaply. The prediction of the occurrence of oil even greater importance, o basis is thus created for the within a predicted rock framework requires other knowmaking of predictions about the likely location of special ledge particularly that pertaining to the history of fluid rock geometries in positions beyond the area of data movement in the rock framework. control.
Knowledge of rock origin stems chiefly from knowledge of the original environment of deposition and knowledge of Résumé. Le rôle de la sédimentologie dans l'exploration the paleogeography in which the environment was situated. pétrolière est de fournir des connaissances sur l'origine Practical Sedimentation is thus concerned chiefly with des roches sédimentaires. Ces connaissances sont essentielenvironmental identification and paleogeographic recon- les pour l'interprétation correcte et avantageuse des donstruction. nées stratigraphiques; elles conduisent à une capacité Identification of the original environment of deposition of accrue d'améliorer les interpolations des donnees existanolder rocks is mode by comparing properties of the rockswith tes et, en conséquence, l'améliorer les extrapolations auproperties of Recent Sediments from known environments. delà des données. Mais ce qui est d'importance encore plus Best results are achieved using a plurality of samples, using grande, on acquiert ainsi une base permettant de faire des multivariate techniques, and utilizing both the variability of prédictions sur la position probable de roches sédimena property as well as its magnitude over a sample group. taires de certaines conformations, en dehors des régions The properties used should be quantitative when possible, sur les quelles on dispose de données stratigraphiques. and capable of survivinlg time and diagenesis. La connaissance de l'origine des roches s'obtient princi-Paleogeography is reconstructed from a three-dimensional palement par la connaissance du milieu de déposition oriarray of environmental identifications by fitting a series of ginel et de la paléogéographie que englobait. Pratiquereasonable paleogeographic maps to the data. Constraints ment donc la